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The Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success acknowledges Indigenous peoples across Australia as the Traditional Owners of the lands on which the nation’s campuses are situated. With a history spanning more than 60,000 years as the original educators, Indigenous peoples hold a unique place in our nation. We recognise the importance of their knowledge and culture, and reflect the principles of participation, equity, and cultural respect in our work. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future, and consider it an honour to learn from our Indigenous colleagues, partners, and friends.

You are reading: 2025-26 Large Grants awarded

We are pleased to announce that three projects have been selected for funding as part of ACSES’s 2025-26 Large Grants Research Program.

The 2025-26 Round was launched on 5 August 2024, with ACSES calling for proposals that outlined projects in relation to the following three research priorities:

  • Alternative Pathways and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).
  • Supporting academic success and effective and inclusive curriculum design and delivery.
  • University engagement with First Nations and diverse equity-bearing cohorts – belonging, empowerment and the student voice.

ACSES received 26 eligible proposals during the Expressions of Interest (EOI) Stage, from which seven proposals were shortlisted in a collective ranking by the Grants and Fellowships Committee and invited to submit full proposals for consideration.

ACSES and the Grants and Fellowships Committee noted the quality and range of proposals received and would like to thank all applicants.

The Committee’s final recommendations for three successful project applications have been endorsed by ACSES.

The three projects selected for funding in 2025-26 are:

Fair, Inclusive Learning Dashboards: Student, educator, industry, and legal perspectives

Lead Investigator: Associate Professor Erica Southgate

Lead institution: University of Newcastle

Research Priority: (2) Supporting academic success and effective and inclusive curriculum design and delivery.

Project details: This project will examine the current and potential use of learning analytic dashboards (LADs) in Australian higher education, from the perspectives of university students from equity backgrounds, their educators, and LAD developers, and in the context of the Australian legal/regulatory landscape. Findings from this project will contribute to an understanding of how LADs can be designed and used in equitable and inclusive ways to mitigate harm and improve academic and well-being outcomes for students.

Living Labs: Indigenous student success and pedagogies for the sciences

Lead investigator: Professor Kathleen Butler

Lead institution: University of Newcastle

Collaborating institutions: Deakin University, RMIT University, and The University of Melbourne

Research priority: (2) Supporting academic success and effective and inclusive curriculum design and delivery.

Project details: This project will explore the operation of Living Labs – inclusive engagement and co-creation spaces – in Australian higher education, focusing on how they offer an effective means to engage with students by mapping participant experiences and perceptions. The project will produce resources highlighting best practice and to provide “Calls to Action” for the Australian tertiary sector.

Supporting Academics with Inclusive and Equitable Curricula, Teaching, and Learning

Lead investigators: Dr Chris Browne and Associate Professor Sally Baker

Lead institution: Australian National University

Collaborating institutions: The University of Melbourne, University of Southern Queensland, Charles Sturt University, Curtin University, and The University of Tasmania

Research priority: (2) Supporting academic success and effective and inclusive curriculum design and delivery.

Project details: This project will examine interdisciplinary academic educators’ perceptions of the opportunities and barriers to designing, developing, delivering, and evaluating inclusive curricula and equitable teaching strategies and supports in their classrooms. It will produce outputs based on case studies at six distinctive universities and a series of national roundtables with key stakeholders. This will create an evidence base for how universities can design, operationalise, and tailor whole-of-institution inclusive curricula and teaching and learning approaches, as well as outlining a professional development strategy and practical strategies for academic educators.

 

ACSES and the Grants and Fellowships Committee would like to extend congratulations to all Large Grants recipients.